3 Rules for healing injuries at 40

Well shit…. You did it again. Another gym trip. Another nagging injury. I get it. We have all been there. I deal with it regularly in my own progress as well as with my clients. If you have never been injured in the gym, you have not challenged yourself. Injury is part of progress. Many of us see it as a setback. The truth. It is a step back. Progress is two steps forward, one step back. Such is the pace of success. Enough philosophy BS. Let’s get to the nitty gritty. 3 tips to heal injuries at 40! In this article, I will share a sample plan for healing lower back injuries. I use this plan regularly as I have a permanent back injury. 

3 tips to heal injuries at 40!.

1. Return to the basics.
2. Scale the basics with a plan.
3. Stick to the plan.

1. Return to the basics.

Fundamentals only fail when you fail to do the fundamentals. An injury is an opportunity for you to fix an issue. Basic rehabilitation protocols are always the answer. Here is the scale you can use when injured. Strength. Mobility, Activation, Static stretching. Here is how to navigate this scale. Strength training is where most of it exists all the time. We injure ourselves in this fundamental practice. One step back on the scale is Mobility. Mobilize the area of injury. If no progress is made. Take another step back to Activation. The goal is to isolate and activate dormant muscles. This will help balance the joint. If still no progress is made, static stretching. The muscle simply needs space to heal. Once progress is made, slowly climb the scale up to strength. Need mobility exercises?

2. Scale the basics with a plan.

You have already seen the hierarchy of healing. Step 2 is to create a plan. We know it takes about 5-7 days for injured tissue to heal. This translates to 5-7 days of fundamentals before we scale up again. Once we can take a step forward, we give ourselves 5-7 days. Each step forward consists of 5-7 days of fundamental work. Let me lay this out in a simple format under the assumption we had to digress to Static Stretching.

Day 1 : Injury day - Rest the injured areas 5-7 days

Day 8: Begin Static stretching exercises.

Day 14: Progress up one step to activation exercises.

Day 21: Progress up one step to mobility exercises.

Day 28: Progress up one step to strength exercises.

Yes! This is a 4 week recovery plan to heal your injuries at forty! No it is not perfect, but it is a place to start!

3. Be Patient.

Yes I just told you it will take a month(ish) to get back in the game. No, you should not rush this process. Why? Your muscles don't care how tough you are. They are on a cycle we must adhere to. Following the steps will effectively heal your injury. As always, you are the judge and jury. You might need a 5th week, or even a 6th week. The severity of your injury is the dictator of healing injuries at forty. Let our wisdom and our patience guide us to success! Read here for tips on patience.

3 tips to heal injuries at 40!.

1. Return to the basics.
2. Scale the basics with a plan.
3. Stick to the plan.

To wrap up the article, let me say this. You are not alone. I am here to help. Each injury is unique, and must be treated as such. The 3 steps are here to provide you with a very basic plan to follow. If you are in serious need of help let me write a Custom recovery plan. I am an expert in healing injuries. Especially for men over forty!